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MTN Refurbishes Kawempe National Referral Hospital

MTN Foundation and MTN Kampala Marathon refurbished Kawempe National Referral Hospital.

The Ministry of Health opens the refurbished Kawempe National Referral Hospital which has been equipped with a Neonatal Intensive Care UnitĀ (NICU). This was with support from theĀ MTN Uganda Foundation and the official partners of the 2019 MTN Kampala Marathon, with technical support from UNFPA.

MTN Uganda, working through UNFPA invested a total of UGX363,915,250 into the Kawempe National Referral Hospital NICU. These funds are the proceeds of the MTN Kampala Marathon that is run with support from partners including Rwenzori, Huawei, New Vision and Stanbic Bank.

With the rapid population growth within the catchment area, Kawempe Hospital has had challenges including congestion in the NICU, as well asĀ lack ofĀ up-to-date equipment.Ā The Ministry of Health reached out to partners including UNFPA and MTN to support with theĀ refurbishment and re-equipping the facility.

The Minister of Health,Ā Hon. Dr. Jane RuthĀ AcengĀ said that the concerted government efforts not withstanding, Uganda’s child mortality ratio ofĀ 336Ā perĀ 100,000 live births is still high.

ā€œThe only way we can pay our partners back is to work hard and use the facility well to ensure that babies don’t die.Ā Just saying thank you to them is not enough. What they want to see is no more pictures of baby posted on social media or the stories we keep on hearing about mothers and children dying in labor,ā€Ā AcengĀ said while at the opening.

Mr. WimĀ Vanhelleputte, the Chief Executive Officer, MTN Uganda said that the telecom is concerned about the high maternal and child mortality rate in the country and is committed to supporting government to change the narrative.

With proceeds fromĀ MTN Kampala marathon that is run every year,Ā for the last sixteen years,Ā MTNĀ has supportedĀ various causes ranging from providing safe water to water stressed areas in Uganda to providing sanitation facilities in schools,Ā among many interventions.

In the last three years however, maternal and child health have headlined the MTN Kampala Marathon with all the proceeds goingĀ towards complementing the government of Uganda’s efforts towards maternal health.Ā 

According toĀ Wim, a total of UGX900 million was raised from the MTN Marathons of 2018 and 2019 combined. The MTN Foundation topped up with UGX450 million to bring it to UGX1.350 billion that will be used to refurbish child and maternal health facilities across the country.

The other health centers that will benefit from the Marathon proceeds include;Ā MuyembeĀ Health Center IV inĀ Bulambulidistrict,Ā PakwachĀ HC IV inĀ PakwachĀ district,Ā KalangalaĀ HC IV inĀ KalangalaĀ district,Ā andĀ KarugutuĀ HC IV inĀ NtorokoĀ district.Works inĀ MuyembeĀ HC IV inĀ BulambuliĀ district have also been completed.

ā€œEarly this year, we renovated and equipped the maternity ward atĀ MpugweĀ Health Center III inĀ MasakaĀ district. Also, as we marked 20 years of existence in Uganda, we as MTN decided to give back to Uganda through refurbishing and equipping eight maternity wards across the country. I am pleased to note that our partners have also committed to support the government of Uganda in extending such services to the communities where they are needed most. ā€ Wim said.

ā€œIt gives me great joy to witness yet another memorable occasion when we see fruits of a great partnership between UNFPA, MTN Foundation and the Ministry of Health. UNFPA takes pride in engaging in this kind of partnerships that create shared opportunities, while leveraging each other’s added value to actualize interventions to achieve universal sexual and reproductive health and rights, reduce maternal death, and improve the lives of women and girls,ā€ said Mr. Alain Sibenaler, the UNFPA Representative said.

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